An Angel on a Mission
by Bad l'Cie
Summary: Sequel to "What's a girl to do?". Caius isn't the only one out to get Lightning. Sephiroth meets up with Serah and Noel. Will they correct the timeline or will it be disorted further?
1. Chapter 1

_I don't own anything from FFVII or FFXIII-2_

I never thought that Cloud would survive the past few onslaughts. Oh well, more fun for me. I constantly slashed at the blonde boy, but he became a little more determined than before to beat me. We clashed swords and I decided to play mind tricks on him.  
"Tell me what you cherish most. Give me the pleasure of taking it away." I taunted him. I smirked as I noticed his grip on his blade weaken.  
"You already have. Now, it's my turn to take what you cherish." Cloud replied. I was surprised by his reply. I pulled Masamune away and he landed on the ground. I then plunged to the earth and landed on my own two feet, unlike Cloud who landed on his knees. He got up and pointed his fusion blade at me.  
"I don't cherish anything." I retorted and tried to strike him with Octaslash. He blocked almost every blow and then stood at a distance from me.  
"What about your girlfriend from high school?" he asked with a sly smile. He remembered her.  
"I thought I killed her." I replied, hoping he was referring to Aerith.  
"Wrong one." He said. I tried not to make it look like it fazed me, but I was getting a little anxious.

"What are you talking about?" I asked in reply.  
"Oh, I don't know... Lightning." He replied.  
"Who?" I questioned. He shook his head at me. "  
You're lying. You know perfectly well who I'm talking about. The girl who you took to prom. The girl who had to move back to her hometown after your senior year. Claire Farron or Lightning as she liked to be called." Cloud replied. My pulse raced. Alright, he knew me better than I thought he did. But I wasn't going to let this little blonde haired, blue eyed puppet turn my mind tricks back onto me.

He picked up his blade and the fight began again. He began to slash at me and I failed to block his blows on a number of occasions. I never realised how much bringing up memories of her would throw me off. Cloud slashed at me multiple times and I couldn't keep up with his attacks. I saw my life flash before my eyes once again as Cloud dealt the final blow. I felt the Lifestream pull me outside the planet once more.

I woke up on a dark beach with a large building in the background. I stayed on the ground and observed the sky. A white dragon was being chased by a bigger black dragon overhead. I watched the beasts duel. The white one seemed to be winning, but only just. A figure jumped from the white dragon's back and landed on the ground before me. The figure wore a silver armour and had white feathers falling down the right hip like a ray of light. I stood up and came face to face with the knight in shimmering armour. Her ice blue eyes tore my heart in two. Her hair fell down one side of her face like a pink waterfall. Her refined eyebrows showed every confused muscle in her face. Her lips were perfectly shaped, just like I remembered them. She stared at me with disbelief.  
"Lightning?" I asked and she smiled at me. Then, a man with purple hair dropped in front of her and drew his blade.  
"Caius?" I asked aloud. A thud sounded behind me. I turned to find that blonde puppet point his blade at me.  
"Cloud?" I asked in surprise. He ran right through me and lunged at the same time Caius did at Lightning. Suddenly, my vision went black.

There was shouting and guns blazing. The shriek of monsters and the war cries of humans filled the air. I awoke on a beach surrounded by a war between man and beast. There were people with guns, but there was also a pink haired girl with a bow blade and a brown haired boy with two blades. I instantly recognised the girl. It was Serah. I never expected a girl like her to take up a weapon. I got up and when I turned, a little bug type monster tried to pounce on me. I whipped Masamune around and decapitated the bug. A group of the bug type monsters flocked to me. I held Masamune out in challenge and struck the bugs down within one fell swoop. Serah turned around and gasped. I put Masamune down. Her bow became a little moogle and she stared at it in wonder.  
"I'm Mog, kupo." The moogle replied.  
"I'm Noel. Who might you be?" Noel asked.  
"I'm Sephiroth." I replied. Serah giggled.  
"You haven't changed since high school." She chuckled. I shook my head at the cheeky pink haired girl. She smiled at me and then Mog hid behind her.  
"He scares me, kupo!" Mog exclaimed. Serah glared at Mog.  
"Don't worry, I get that a lot." I replied with a half smile.

"What is this place?" I asked and looked around. I saw Cocoon being held up by a crystal pillar and then looked at my surroundings. It was a beach, similar to Costa del Sol but nothing like Bodhum.  
"This is New Bodhum." Serah replied. I turned back to Cocoon and then back to Serah.  
"What happened to Bodhum?" I asked.  
"Long story short, Cocoon fell and Gran Pulse had been renamed the New Cocoon." Serah replied. A blue haired boy ran up to us and stared at Noel, Mog and I as if we were aliens.  
"Hey Serah! You ok?" the boy asked.  
"I'm fine Yuj." Serah replied with a smile. They brought us into a big hall looking building. Noel explained how he got there and he also explained his situation to us. He was told by Lightning to bring Serah to Valhalla and to change the timeline. That must have been the dark city she fought Caius and Cloud in.

"So, what do we do?" Serah asked.  
"We change the future." Noel replied.  
"Isn't that dangerous?" I asked.  
"Could be." Noel replied.  
"Right, so where do we find an artefact?" Serah asked.  
"An artefact is an item not from this time or place, kupo." Mog replied.  
"You're not leaving yet. Rest up and then start looking." The man named Gadot said. Serah went into her bedroom with Mog. The NORA members headed to bed. Noel laid down on one of the tables and I got comfy on a couch. Noel started snoring within seven minutes and I found it really hard to close my eyes. The beasts howled into the night and cats meowed loudly. New Cocoon wasn't a very quiet place to sleep. Suddenly, I heard a familiar song play in my mind. It was one that I usually heard Lightning playing when Genesis, Angeal, Lightning and I stayed at her Bodhum house back in high school. 'A Prayer for You' was a song written by Storm Blade's lead singer for his daughter, Claire. The lyrics waltzed around in my mind as finally closed my eyes to sleep.

I felt something try to burrow into my chest. The song still played over and over again. I must still be mad. I opened my eyes slowly. I heard a sigh and then looked down towards my chest. Lightning was sleeping against my chest. I smiled and then kissed her head. She stirred and then snuggled in closer. I chuckled quietly, but Lightning woke up.  
"Hello, sleepy head." I chuckled. She kissed my cheek and then pressed her lips against mine. Her lips were warm and soft, just like I remembered them. She released my lips from hers and then cuddled me. I could feel her heartbeat from underneath her armour. Then, I realised that I forgot to give her something when she left for Bodhum after high school.

"Hey Claire?" I asked.  
"What's up?" she asked, her ice blue eyes twinkling with glee. I reached in my pocket and pulled out a long box.  
"I forgot to give you something before you left Gaia." I replied and handed the box to her.  
"Happy birthday. Sorry, it's a little late." I said with an apologetic smile. She kissed my cheek and gave me a hug.  
"You didn't have to give me anything." She replied.  
"I did too." I said and kissed her briefly. She opened the box and gasped. It was a silver bracelet studded with pure thundaga materia.  
"It's beautiful. Thank you Sephiroth." She replied and kissed me again.  
"Can you put it on for me?" She asked with an excited glint in her eye that I hadn't seen in years. I made my pulse race and my spine tremble. I nodded and put it around her left wrist. Thank goodness it fit. She sat there and admired it for a few seconds before turning back to me. She kissed me and then laid her head on my chest.  
"I missed you." She cooed. I wrapped my arms around Light and kissed her head.  
"I missed you too. I missed you more than you would ever know." I replied and kissed her lips. When I pulled away, she brought her lips up to my ear.  
"I love you." She whispered.  
"I love you too." I replied and she snuggled into my neck.

"Claire, why do want Serah and Noel to change the future?" I asked. She shifted uneasily and then sat up and looked me in the eye.  
"Because, the timeline was warped after Cocoon fell. I want Serah and Noel to correct the timeline. I would do it myself, but I can't leave Valhalla. Because if I do I put the goddess, Etro at risk." She replied. I kissed her forehead and she sighed heavily.  
"Babe, don't worry. I'll help them and protect them. And I'll protect you. I promise." I whispered and pressed my lips up against hers. As our lips constantly locked and unlocked, Light's hands tried to tangle themselves in my hair. I placed my hand behind her neck and continued to caress her. Our lips then parted and pulled me in closer.  
"I'll see you soon, Sephiroth." She replied and kissed me briefly. The way she said my name sent shivers through my body. My vision then blacked out.

"He's not awake yet, kupo." I heard Mog say. I opened my eyes to find Serah, Noel and Mog staring at me from above. I sat up slightly and looked around. I sighed and lent back. I whacked my head against something hard. I looked behind myself and found that I had fallen off of the couch in the night and I didn't realise. I stood up and rubbed my head. I grunted and Serah giggled.  
"Let's start looking for this artefact." I said and we wandered outside into the sea breeze.

My vision began to swirl. I had to blink a few times before my vision returned to normal. I looked towards a palm tree and I saw a glint of something shiny. Moments later, Mog's crystal began to glow and then he flew towards the tree. Serah, Noel and I followed the moogle and then Serah picked up a weapon of some sort.  
"It's Light's survival knife. What's it doing out here?" She asked. She pocketed the knife and turned to Noel.  
"Maybe it's connected to the warped timeline?" I suggested. They looked at me with confusion. I sighed. I felt like an alien. A stupid, psychologically challenged alien.

Then a group of kids ran up to Serah and one of the kids started saying something that made Serah a little peeved off.  
"Meanie Miss Farron!" The group chanted and Serah tried her best to calm them down.  
"You don't want me to get angry, do you?" Serah asked with a strict tone. The kids shut up and shook their heads.  
"Good, off you go!" she exclaimed and they ran off to play a ball game.  
"My students." She said with a sad smile.  
"How strict are you on these kids?" Noel asked.  
"Enough to make Gadot say that I'm quite a bit like my sister." Serah laughed. I seriously could imagine that.

I looked to the sky and saw a thick mako green line carving its way through the sky.  
"The Lifestream." I uttered.  
"Kupo?" Mog asked in confusion. The other three looked up to the sky and then to me in confusion.  
"Mog, do you know what kind of place Valhalla is?" I asked the little moogle.  
"Valhalla is the final resting place for the dead at the end of time and it is ruled by the goddess of death, Etro, kupo." Mog replied.  
"The Lifestream is heading towards Valhalla. That's where Lightning is. If we ever need to find her, just follow the Lifestream." I said.

Serah and Noel looked at me as if I was crazy. Maybe I was, maybe I was in the Lifestream circling Gaia and this was all a dream. I looked up to the Lifestream and decided to see if I could get any information as to where it ends. I tried contacting Zack or Aerith, but they shut me out. I wouldn't blame them; I would've done the same. I tried contacting Genesis and Angeal. Suddenly, they appeared before me as solid as a normal human being. The only problem with that statement being that the three of us aren't human or normal for that matter.

"Seph! Long time, no see. Have you lost weight?" Angeal asked. I chuckled at him.  
"You haven't changed!" I exclaimed. Serah, Mog and Noel stared at them in confusion.  
"Serah!" Genesis and Angeal exclaimed.  
"Genesis, Angeal! Haven't seen you guys in years! You both look good!" She replied.  
"Do you know where the Lifestream is heading?" I asked and they both shook their head.  
"Sorry, Zack and Aerith don't tell anybody anything." Genesis replied. Then one of the NORA members, a blonde kid named Maqui ran up towards us.  
"That kid running into the outskirts stole something from my workshop. Can you get it back?" he asked. Serah nodded and we ran after this boy.

I easily beat the other three to the boy. He looked absolutely terrified.  
"Don't hurt me!" he pleaded and placed his hands over his head. I got down to his level and placed my hand on his shoulder.  
"I'm not going to hurt you. You took something from Maqui didn't you?" I asked with a cheeky smile, trying to make the child see that I wasn't going to hurt him. He stayed silent. I sighed.  
"I won't get angry if you said yes. Please tell me the truth." I replied and the kid took a deep breath.  
"Yes! Please don't tell Miss Farron!" he exclaimed.  
"I'll take you down to Maqui so you can apologise, ok?" I asked. He nodded and handed me a silver necklace. It looked a lot like the one of Cocoon Serah wore. I stood and the boy followed me back to the beach.

"Found him." I said and handed the necklace to Serah. She inspected it and then I ushered the boy only before Serah could lecture him about stealing. I brought the kid over to Maqui and he looked furious.  
"Do you have something to say to Maqui?" I asked.  
"I'm sorry I stole the necklace from your workshop. I don't know why I did it, I'm so sorry. I won't do it again. I promise." The kid replied. Maqui's frown left his face and he gave the boy a high-five.  
"It takes courage to do apologise. Run along now." Maqui chirped and the kid ran off to join his friends playing on the beach.  
"Serah has the necklace." I said.  
"Thanks Sephiroth." He replied and then ran off towards the NORA house. Mog flew towards me.  
"Kupo?" he asked.  
"Yep, Maqui's cool." I replied as Serah and Noel finally caught up.  
"All good, kupo!" Mog chirped.  
"The necklace, Light's knife? What does this mean?" she asked.  
"Maybe that they're alive and out there somewhere waiting for you?" I suggested. They looked at me like I was an idiot.

Genesis and Angeal came up to me again with Zack and Aerith in tow. Serah's eyes lit up and she squealed.  
"Aerith! I haven't seen you in ages!" Serah exclaimed and hugged Aerith.  
"Thanks guys." I replied and Genesis leaned up against a palm tree with Loveless in his hands. Angeal shook his head at the literature lunatic and Zack chuckled.  
"Aerith, where is the Lifestream heading?" I asked. She turned and stared at me with wide and frightened eyes like a juvenile chocobo in headlights.  
"Uh... Valhalla! Don't hurt me!" she replied and hid behind Zack. I rolled my eyes at my ex.  
"Thanks, that's all I needed to know." I said and she sighed with relief. She headed back over to Serah and they began to catch up. A ginger cat wondered up to Serah and rubbed its cheeks over her leg.  
"Snow!" She exclaimed and picked up the cat.  
"What?" Noel asked.  
"I named my cat after my fiancé." She replied and gave the cat a kiss before setting it back down on the sand. I looked over at the NORA house and there was something about it that made me a little suspicious. Genesis, Angeal, Zack and Aerith headed back to the Lifestream.

I wondered over to the NORA house and peeked into Serah's clean room. All seemed to be normal until I came across the mirror. It glistened with an unearthly golden glow. I reached out to touch it. The glass felt cool against my glove. My reflection was of myself before the Nibelheim incident. My hair was shorter and I didn't look nearly as sinister as I do now. I pulled my hands away and the mirror's golden glow faded. My reflection showed me as I was now. Serah and Noel walked in and Mog inspected the room. I looked at the bronzed edging of the mirror and the Mog's bobble began to glow as he rushed to the mirror. In a burst of grey light, a green crystal appeared in the mirror. As I reached out to touch it, my hand went into the actual glass. I went to pull my hand out with the crystal in it, but something grabbed my hand and pulled me into the mirror.

The land inside the mirror was darker than Valhalla. I heard a familiar hiss, put the crystal into my pocket and drew Masamune.  
"Turning on me are you?" the voice hissed. I remembered that hiss; it was the same hiss I heard that night before setting Nibelheim on fire. The creature stepped into the light and I couldn't believe what I saw.  
"I knew you were joking. Why did you lead me here? I like it better here. Help me take over the planets known as Cocoon and Gran Pulse." Jenova hissed and held her hand out to me. She had taken form of one of the residents of New Bodhum. I stumbled backwards.  
"Why these two? Why not Gaia?" I asked. She wondered around me and then laughed.  
"Gaia is already doomed. Besides, can't I help one of my own?" she asked in reply.  
"One of your own?" I asked uncertainly.  
"Yes, one of my own. The blonde one." She replied. Mother's helping Cloud?! I must be dreaming.  
"Why?" I asked with confusion.  
"Because you failed me, again!" she hissed in reply.

I began to look around for a way out of the darkness. I closed my eyes and opened them again, hoping that my new eyesight would find an exit for me. Sadly, no way out yet. I tried to call out to the Lifestream and I heard no answer. I held the crystal in my hand and took a deep breath. Jenova stared at me with her cold eyes. She left the body of the citizen and slithered into another nearby. I creeps me out every time she does that.  
"Sephiroth?! Can you hear me?" I heard Serah's voice shout.  
"Yeah! Get me out of here!" I exclaimed in reply. Jenova shook her head.  
"Running away won't make me go away, Sephiroth. You of all people should know that." Jenova smirked.

She circled me like a behemoth would a dying chocobo.  
"You used to be so obedient... what happened to you?" she asked and tried to stroke my head. I stepped backward and almost fell over the corpse she had left moments ago. She looked into my eyes and turned her back on me in disgust.  
"Something's wrong with you. I can sense it. It's your eyes. They aren't what they used to be." She replied and then circled me again.  
"What do you mean?" I asked and eyed her. Something's up with her.  
"You can see things, can you not? Things that even a Cetra would not pick up. You have been touched by another force. Your mind has been corrupted." She replied and then turned back around to me.

Then I thought of Lightning and how I promised her that I would help Serah and Noel fix the timeline and that I'd protect her.  
"You can't stand it. I've changed and you can't stand it. You're not a mother, you're an imposter." I mocked. I enjoy mind games. Jenova hissed and threw a fire materia at me. I moved my shoulder and it missed me completely. Got you.  
"That's right. You thought I wouldn't figure it out, but I'm smarter than you think. You never treated me right. I was nothing more than a puppet, I now realise that." I replied and spied a golden gate in the distance. I swerved past her and made a run for it. I touched the gate and I fell out of the mirror. I looked at the crystal in my hand and smiled.  
"I got an artefact." I mused.

Serah took it from my hand and I got off of the floor. Noel patted my back and I chuckled. Mog waved his staff in the air and cheered.  
"Now to find the gate." Serah said and we wondered to the meteor impact site. Serah stopped just behind us and looked at Lightning's knife.  
"Hey, Light's knife has been sharpened. And the chain on Snow's necklace has been fixed. And the cat was brushed. Something's up." She commented. We heard a meow come from behind us and the NORA gang came up to us. Yuj held Snow in his hand and they said goodbye. Serah held the artefact up to the gate and we warped into a tunnel.

"This is the Historia Crux. Everything is connected to here. We can go anywhere into the past, present or future." Noel explained. The area was either golden or bronzed. The four of us floated through the tunnel and fell out of the tunnel into a different time and place.


	2. Chapter 2

We wandered into a set of ruins. Moss gathered on the broken concrete. A huge gap in the ground was fenced off and a hand reached out of the gap towards the heavens. The rain poured and made the whole scene look a little suspicious to me.  
"This is Cocoon. This is the Bresha Ruins." Serah said and Mog nodded. I studied a sign on the fence.  
"Paradox Alpha." I recited aloud. As soon as I said the name, the hand sprung up and towered above us without a body. Mog became Serah's bow, Noel whipped out his two blades and I held Masamune, poised to strike.

The beast revealed itself and then warped away from the battleground.  
"What was that?" Serah asked as Mog sprung into the air.  
"Paradox Alpha according to the sign." I replied. Suddenly, a group of armed soldiers surrounded us and told us to put our hands behind our heads. We did as they asked and we were ushered off to a holding cell. The captain of that squad stood outside the cell. Mog danced around trying to amuse himself. I stood with my back against a wall. Serah paced in the small space available and Noel just stood there with a blank expression on his face.  
"Why are they here?" An energetic woman with blonde hair asked.  
"They were carrying weapons." The captain replied.  
"They are guests of the Academy." She said. Serah walked up to the bars and we were let go.

After an exchange of introductions, the blonde haired woman named Alyssa gave us each a communications device.  
"We need you to stop Atlas before it wrecks havoc on the ruins." Alyssa said. We nodded and then Alyssa wandered off towards the excavation area again. Suddenly, a brown haired woman dressed as half a chocobo and half a prostitute waved at us.  
"Is it just me or can you see the crazy woman?" I asked. Serah and Noel looked towards the woman and nodded.  
"I see her." Noel replied. I sighed with relief. Finally, I wasn't the only one seeing things.

We wandered past her and she tried to stop us.  
"Hi strangers! I'm Chocolina! It's a beautiful day for supply shopping! Why don't you spend your gil here?" She asked with a really annoying happy tone. Serah and Noel decided to take this opportunity to buy a few potions and remedies before heading out. I looked up at the sky to find the Lifestream still pulsing in the heavens above. All of a sudden, the crazy woman named Chocolina slapped me with her wing and I turned to her with my arms folded across my chest.  
"Hello handsome! You single?" she asked with a strangely hopeful expression. Serah looked up and began to laugh.  
"Uh, no. I'm with somebody." I replied.  
"Well, she's a very lucky girl." Chocolina mused and brushed my shoulder. Noel joined Serah in her fits of laughter. Mog hung his head and shook it.  
"I didn't know you still dated!" Serah exclaimed with a giggle. I rolled my eyes at her and laughed. She was even cheekier now than she was in high school.

"I may know her. Who's the lucky girl?" Chocolina asked. Noel and Serah walked up behind the crazy woman to listen to my answer.  
"Uh, I really don't think I should be telling complete strangers about my love life." I replied.  
"You can so tell us, I'm not a stranger!" Serah exclaimed. I sighed. I could see that they would've gotten it out of me whether I liked it or not. I began to fidget with my hands and look around for an excuse not to reply. Bingo.  
"Hey, look at the chocobo! Pretty yeah?" I asked and pointed to the yellow bird standing not far from Chocolina's stall.  
"Don't change the subject Sephiroth! Tell us!" Serah exclaimed. I groaned. Jezz, couldn't they take a hint?

"Ok I'll give you hints... She's smart, strong, sexy and sassy." I replied. Serah shook her head at me.  
"Tell us more, like a name perhaps?" Chocolina asked. I groaned again.  
"Fine. Serah, Noel and Mog know her. We dated before and I never really got over her." I replied with a shrug.  
"You're dating Lightning? Again?" Serah asked in disbelief. I nodded. Chocolina waved her wing at me.  
"Well, I do happen to know her and she's kind of scary." Chocolina commented.  
"Really? You're making it up! She spent the last three years in Valhalla." Serah said.  
"Last five actually. This is 5 AF." Chocolina replied. Serah nodded and continued to question my reply.  
"When have you seen her since high school?" Serah asked.  
"I saw her before I woke up in New Bodhum and when I fell off the couch that night." I replied.  
"Liar!" Serah exclaimed. I didn't want to argue with Serah and just dropped the matter. They paid for the supplies and we left.  
"Don't be strangers now! Choco-boco-lina!" Chocolina exclaimed.

We were pulled into a battle with some monsters. They were easily dispatched, but the weird thing was that a white crystal hung where one of the monsters was defeated.  
"Those blessed by Etro can control wild beasts, kupo." Mog explained.  
"That explains why Lightning had so many feral creatures fighting alongside her." Noel said. Serah nodded and picked up the monster crystal.

We walked onwards and the air was quiet.  
"Why do your eyes look like those of Serah's cat?" Noel asked. Serah gave him a warning glance.  
"Don't worry Serah, I'm not offended. I guess I was born with them." I replied with a shrug.  
"Did you join SOLDIER like you planned to?" Serah asked. I stopped in my tracks and looked down at the belt behind my coat.  
"Yes... and no. I was one of their best and then something happened, so I'm not one of them anymore." I replied.  
"Oh, sorry." Serah said and the rest of the walk was quiet. Suddenly, Serah's comm. Device buzzed to life.  
"Serah! Serah! Atlas has been spotted in the northern region!" a distorted Alyssa exclaimed.  
Serah picked up the device and replied, "Thanks, I will remember that!"

After roaming the underground tunnels and battling a few low strength monsters, we reached a set of crystals. A researcher stood near the crystals and Serah asked what they were for.  
"From the information we gathered, this is the controls for Atlas." The researcher replied. Serah touched one of the crystals and we heard a loud screech come from outside. The thumping of Atlas' feet had slowed down.  
"We've slowed it down." Noel said. We rushed out of the tunnels and faced the beast.

Atlas was a towering fortress of raw power and strength. A fitting beast for the title of 'an ancient weapon'. After a while, it seemed that we weren't even close to taking it out.  
"Serah! The crystal on its neck!" Noel exclaimed. We looked up at its neck and there it was, a shiny blue crystal sitting on the neck of the massive beast.  
"I got it!" I exclaimed and released my black wing from hiding under my coat. I flew to the neck of the beast and lodged Masamune underneath the crystal. Serah tried to shoot it but almost hit me.  
"Watch it!" I called angrily. I lifted the blade up slightly and the crystal popped right off Atlas' neck. The crystal fell before Serah and Noel whilst Atlas fell forwards. When the beast had hit the ground, I wandered off of its back and towards the two gawking warriors.

I tucked my wing beck under my coat and smiled.  
"Done!" I chirped and noticed Alyssa standing a few feet away with her jaw about to smack the ground. Mog popped up and looked at Serah in confusion.  
"What's up, kupo?" Mog asked.  
"I scared them. And Chocolina said Light was the scary one!" I chuckled as the moogle looked at me in even more confusion. Alyssa ran up to Serah and Noel.  
"Did you see that?" Alyssa asked. Serah nodded and Noel's eye began to twitch.  
"It's not that big a deal." I said and they turned to me.  
"Not that big a deal?! You have one black angel wing! That is a big deal!" Serah exclaimed in reply. Alyssa shook her head and then went about as if I had never sprouted my wing.

"Hey, I found a cemetery. Want to help me find more about it?" Alyssa asked. The other two nodded and we followed Alyssa to the cemetery. The rain began to batter us as we reached the tombstones. She looked at the plaque on a large one. She looked as if she was about to cry and fell to her knees.  
"I thought it was me! But it was my friend! She died during the fall... We were hiding from the Purge in Bodhum and a building fell on top of her! I've been having these dreams where it was me instead of her that died and my name was on the plaque!" She sobbed and wiped the tears away from her eyes. The rain did a good job of masking her tears, but it was still obvious that she had been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy from rubbing them. Serah squatted next to her and rubbed her back. Alyssa stopped sobbing and the two stood up again. She stayed at the tombstone and told us to go on.

I lagged behind the others as they trekked on without me at their side. I blinked a few times and I spotted another one of those crystals. I grabbed it and we headed towards a time gate.  
"We have no artefact. We have to look for one." Noel announced and they went to leave. I pulled out the crystal and held it to the gate.  
"It works!" I mused. They turned around and looked at me as if I was some crazed scientist. I rolled my eyes at them and they came back to the gate. We headed back to the Historia Crux and found ourselves in yet another time and place.


	3. Chapter 3

After travelling through time, solving paradoxes and battling Caius, we arrived at Serendipity. The casino's atmosphere was very party like, as if it was an endless festival. Mog ran off to go play and Serah wandered off with Noel to play the slot machines. I stood alone. People rushed around me and cheering came from most of the buildings. The two buildings that didn't have the celebratory cheers coming from them were the hotel and the Chocobo Mystic's building. Maybe the Mystic could tell me why I've been seeing all of these paradox openings and hidden items.

Then my mind turned to Lightning. I haven't seen her in what feels like ages. I wonder how she's doing? Serah and Noel thought I was crazy when I said that I see her in my dreams. Maybe I was. Maybe I was imagining this whole experience. Still, it didn't feel like a dream. It felt like I was actually there with her. I sighed. I missed her a lot. I wandered if the change in my personality was due to loving her. It was highly likely. I would do anything for her. It seems that I have given up my evil ways to protect her, Etro and the timeline. Then my mind switched back to why I'd been looking at this building in the first place, for answers.

I wandered into the Chocobo Mystic's building. It smelt of incense and had almost a holy presence about it that made me feel uneasy. It felt like something was just waiting to strike the evil out of me and cleanse me of the blood on my hands from all of those times I killed. A woman wearing a yellow costume similar to that of Chocolina's stood at the end of the room. She was a little intimidating, but I wasn't about to let a stranger know that I was uneasy about this place.

She squinted at me and then she came up to me. She inspected my eyes and then brought me into the light.  
"My, my... were you born with these eyes?" she asked with a thick accent.  
"Ah, the pupils yeah. But I've been seeing things that I've never usually seen before." I replied and blinked a few times.  
"Like?" she asked.  
"Paradoxes, hidden objects, false beings and the supernatural." I replied. It was true, I've never told Serah or Noel about this but I've been seeing quite a few spirits in some areas, especially on Cocoon.  
"I've heard about this, but never seen it before... It's a form of the Eyes of Etro ability given to someone who already has powerful genes." She said and held the bottom on my eyelid so she could inspect further.  
"What's the Eyes of Etro ability?" I asked.  
"It allows the bearer to see the future. But every time they do, it takes a piece of their life. The Paddra seeress Yeul would be a good example." She replied and continued to stare at my eyeballs.

She stopped pulling at my eyelids and stood back, allowing me to relax my eyes.  
"Well, have you been in contact with Etro at all?" she asked.  
"My friend has the Eyes of Etro ability and my girlfriend is protecting the goddess." I replied.  
"Hm... does this girlfriend protect her from Valhalla?" she asked. I nodded.  
"That's why. She has been given some of Etro's power in order to properly protect the goddess. And if you have kissed for example, she could've unknowingly passed the ability to you." The Chocobo Mystic replied.

"Are you from here?" she asked. I shook my head.  
"Do you know about your genetics?" she asked.  
"Yes. I have Jenova cells. Quite a few of them." I replied. Genesis, Angeal and I were the only experiments that sprouted a wing as we were exposed to a large amount of Jenova's cells.  
"The one that is currently possessing a young man and attacking people across the timeline?" she asked.  
"That's the one." I replied.  
"Yes. Your ability is a rare one. Be careful as many people will kill for your ability." She said. Kill for an ability that I have? Hm... I reckon more like kill me for it.  
"Have you been having dreams about Valhalla?" she asked.  
"Yes." I replied.  
She smiled and then replied, "You are half dead, you float between dimensions. You go to one when your mind is conscious, and the other when it's not. That may be another reason as to why you can see the dead." Then, Serah and Noel wandered in.  
"Sephiroth. Time to go." Noel said. The Chocobo Mystic nodded and gestured towards the door.  
"Be careful of whom you trust, gifted one." She replied and I left with Serah and Noel.

Once we were in the hotel room, my body eased up a bit. Gifted one? I scoffed. What's gifted about me?  
"Hey, Seph? What did she mean by gifted one?" Serah asked.  
"I have a mutated form of Yeul's ability." I replied. Noel laughed and Serah couldn't help but to join in. Mog looked at me apologetically and floated next to me.  
"I'm sorry about them. They're on a high. They won many Casino Coins." Mog replied. I gave him a half smile.  
"Thanks for the heads up Mog." I said. Noel and Serah stopped laughing. I sighed. I looked at window and received a mild shock.

A little boy around seven was dirty, bloody and tattered. He looked a little like Denzel, one of the orphans Cloud and Tifa cared for.  
"How could you let Jenova take over Cloud like that?" he exclaimed at me. That was Denzel all right. The boy stormed up to me and tried to swing at me. His fist went right through my face and he tried to hammer at my gut. Even though he wasn't hurting me at all, I just sat there in shock.  
"How could it be my fault? It's her nature!" I exclaimed at Denzel. He looked up at me with tears running down his face. All over his forehead and his right arm was the remains of the Geostigma, a disease I had caused from the Lifestream. He had been infected by it, but was cured just like Cloud's.  
"Why did you let her? Were you too busy saving this world that you forgot about Gaia?" he asked with the tears splashing down his face. I sighed.  
"Denzel, Jenova is Cloud's enemy. Not mine. I used to serve her, but I don't anymore." I replied calmly.

The boy sobbed and I got down to his level.  
"Who did this to you?" I asked. The boy sniffled and wiped his eyes with the side of his hand.  
"Cloud did. He killed Tifa and Marlene as well. Kadaj, Yazoo and Loz call him big brother and they follow him everywhere now." He replied.  
"Where are they?" I asked.  
"They went to the Lifestream, or at least Marlene did... I don't know what happened to Tifa, all I know is she's dead. Just like Yuffie, Barrett, Cid, Cat Sith, Red XIII... except for Vincent, they're all dead." Denzel sniffled.  
"He took out his friends, just like that?" I asked. Denzel nodded and let the tears splash down from his cheek and onto my coat. I gave the boy a hug.  
"I'll fix things. Don't worry about that, things will be fixed." I replied and Denzel let a few more tears fall onto my shoulder.  
"You really would try?" he asked. His dead eyes glistened from all the tears that were shed from them.  
"I will try Denzel. I will try." I replied and the boy smiled.  
"Avenge us, ok?" he asked.  
"I will." I replied and Denzel disappeared.

I got up off of the ground and sat on my bed once more. I turned to find Serah and Noel staring at me once more.  
"What? I told you, mutated form of Eyes of Etro." I replied and then lay down to go to sleep. The three of them were very loud and I couldn't get to sleep unless they did. I placed one of the three pillows over my ears and hoped that it would stop. A few minutes later, I fell asleep as Lightning's song 'Crying over you' echoed through my mind.

I woke up on the cold tiles of Etro's temple. I stood up to find Etro's throne suspended in midair and white feathers fell around it.  
"I haven't seen you in a while." Lightning said with a smile.  
"Claire." I breathed and embraced her. Our lips touched and they caressed over and over again. Being with her almost made me forget what I was supposed to be doing. I let our tongues caress before our lips parted ways.  
"I love you." She whispered.  
"I love you too." I replied and kissed her again.

I released Lightning from my grip and she gently pushed me up against a wall. Her lips gracefully attacked mine with an electrifying passion. I could feel her hands fumble at the clasps of my coat. I sighed as she pulled my coat off of my shoulders and threw it onto the floor. She then removed my SOLDIER belt and threw that on top of my coat. I could feel her hands tracing my abdominals and she heavily sighed. I ran my hands through her hair and she then stroked my arm. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her into a tighter embrace. Our lips parted for a second and Lightning chuckled before pressing her lips against mine once more. Our lips parted and then joined again continuously. Light's hands moved to my upper back and she let her hands wander my upper body. I rested my hands on her upper back and let my own hands go wandering around her body. Our lips parted and we both sighed. Lightning rested her head on my chest. Her hair was incredibly soft. It tickled my chest as she nuzzled me. I kissed her head and she kissed my chest. I sighed and she chuckled again. Her touch was relaxing in many ways.

"I don't want to move from this spot." Lightning whispered.  
"Why not?" I asked.  
"It feels so good, Seph..." she replied with a sigh. I chuckled at the knight snuggling against my chest. I kissed her forehead and she sighed. She stopped nuzzling me and looked up at me with those angelic ice blue eyes of hers.  
"What?" I asked and she grabbed my hand.  
"Etro's been wanting to see you." She replied and pulled me towards the throne.  
"He is here." She said and closed her eyes before kneeling before the throne. I blinked a few times before seeing a figure sitting in the throne with a heart that glows the exact same as Caius'.

A ray of light shone upon the temple. A new coat was placed over my torso and was the same colour and length as the other, however, at the waist was a belt of white feathers and hanging from the shoulders was a line of white feathers which was quite ironic considering I was a black winged angel. I knelt next to Lightning and closed my eyes. The goddess had a gentle and graceful voice taking into consideration that she was the only thing stopping the power of chaos destroying the timeline.  
"Will you accept the task of being my champion outside of Valhalla? To protect the timeline and the ones you love?" she asked.  
"Yes, I will be your champion." I replied and bowed my head.  
"Good, because I can't be in two places at once." Lightning joked.  
"Go now my champions. Go and protect the timeline." She replied and then faded away, most likely to rest.

I stood up when I heard the clunk of Lightning's armour as she got up. Lightning took my hand and led me to the balcony. She stared out into the distance. I did the same and I saw the pillar holding Cocoon up was crumbling and Caius had caused it. The vision faded and Light looked at me with worry.  
"That was the future. I can see everything here, even Cloud's rampaging ever since he joined Caius." She said with a sad smile.  
"He killed everybody he cared about... he's a host for Jenova. She will continue to manipulate his body until he dies. Unless, we can kill them both." I suggested.  
"But, why would you kill the guy who saves Gaia time and time again?" Lightning asked.  
"Denzel asked me to avenge the deaths of Marlene and Tifa. I'm going to do exactly that and make sure that his soul finds peace." I replied. She smiled at me and kissed my cheek.  
"You really can be a sweet person." She said. I chuckled.  
"Yeah right! If I'm sweet, then Caius is a gentleman!" I sarcastically exclaimed. Lightning laughed and then the happiness on her face was replaced with sorrow.

"What's up?" I asked and placed my hand on Lightning's shoulder. She sighed and then looked up at me.  
"It's the pillar. I know it has weakened. Two of my friends are in that pillar, using their strength to hold it up. It could hold for a few thousand years, but who knows? It may fall. I know that's what Caius wants; he wants the pillar taken out." Lightning replied and then closed her eyes. I took her into my arms and held her close.  
"I'll stop him." I said and kissed her head. I blinked and then I saw a gleam come from her chest.  
"You can't kill him. If you do, you destroy Etro and the timeline. That what Caius wants, the timeline destroyed and Yeul's life spared. He wants to kill Etro but is unaware that in killing her, he will kill himself as well." Lightning replied.  
"And you too?" I asked. She looked at me as if I knew something she didn't quite understand herself. She nodded.  
"Apparently, Etro has three hearts. They all contain the power of chaos. One heart wouldn't contain all of the chaos in Valhalla, so she gave one to Caius a long time ago and she recently gave me one." She replied.

I've never seen her so disheartened before. It tore my heart in two and then slashed the halves to shreds. I lifted her chin and kissed her lips. I could feel her body tense up and then relax as our kiss became ever more passionate. As we pulled away, her hands wandered my body to find my own. Her fingers traced my palm and then folded with my own fingers.  
"I love you." I said. She snuggled into my chest.  
"I love you too." Lightning cooed. My vision began to fade. I shook it off and continued to hold Lightning in our warm embrace. I felt something hard slap me in the face and I groaned from the momentary pain. Lightning stirred and then stroked my face.  
"It's time you left, Serah, Noel and Mog are waiting." She replied and kissed my lips before my vision faded.

"He's not waking up! Whack him again!" I heard Serah exclaim. I felt a sharp pain after a fleshy object smacked me in the face. I heard Noel grunt and then flap his wrist in the air. My eyes opened to find Serah, Mog and Noel standing over me.  
"What?" I asked angrily and jumped out of bed. Serah and Noel looked at me weirdly. As if I'm not used to that by now.  
"Don't you have black feathers?" Serah asked.  
"Yeah, but they're Etro's feathers." I replied.  
"He's one of Etro's champions, kupo!" Mog exclaimed. Serah and Noel looked at each other before chuckling.  
"What did you actually see the goddess?" Serah joked. I nodded and then left the room.


	4. Chapter 4

Caius stood with his blade through Serah and she succumbed to the darkness. It reminded me of what I did to Aerith. I had failed, I couldn't protect Serah. I whipped out Masamune and struck the guardian. He looked at me and then flicked Serah's body away.  
"Caius, you don't have to do this! If the timeline was corrected, Yeul wouldn't see so many visions anymore! Help us fix it!" I exclaimed.  
"You are noble, but is that enough to protect those you hold dear?" Caius asked and I struck him down. He got back up and challenged me to a fight. "If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you get!" I exclaimed and held Masamune up to his neck.

He smirked and we launched straight into battle. He was a formidable foe, but he wasn't difficult. I used Octaslash to keep him at a distance. He got back up and tried to strike me. I teleported from one end of the battleground to the other. He looked around in confusion. I chuckled.  
"I'm over here." I smirked and struck him down. He went to strike me again, but I teleported again. I released my black wing and held Masamune in challenge.

"I thought this would be interesting, but it's boring. Entertain me Caius." I smirked and used Heartless Angel on him. He flew into the air and almost landed on his back if he didn't turn midair and land on his feet. He used Eye of Bahamut and the attack didn't even touch me. I rose into the air and pointed Masamune towards the ground. "To the Promised Land." I said and brought my blade down on Caius. The ground shook and battered him with pillars of stone before settling down again. I ripped Masamune out of the ground and stood before him. He slowly rose from the ground and lifted his blade with difficulty.

"I've never heard of a black winged angel wearing white feathers before." Caius scoffed.  
"A change of heart doesn't change the colour of your feathers. It just changes your way of thinking." I replied with a smile and lunged at him again. He finally began to dodge and block my blows. Finally, some action. We clashed blades and Caius looked as if he was struggling to keep at it.  
"No need to tell me what you cherish... I know what it is and I will have the pleasure of taking it away." I smiled and Caius' eyes widened with shock.  
"You wouldn't!" he exclaimed. A Yeul ran into the battle ground and yelled for Caius. I released my blade from his and teleported behind Yeul.

"Caius? Caius, are you alright?" She asked the slumping guardian. He looked up behind her and I raised my blade.  
"Yeul! No!" he exclaimed and I plunged Masamune into Yeul's heart. I smiled as I ripped the blade out of her torso. Caius dropped his blade and took Yeul into his arms.  
"Yeul! Why must I see you die over and over again?" He asked rhetorically. I mind flashed back to when I killed Aerith and Cloud held her in his arms. I gasped and stepped backwards. I was becoming the bloodthirsty demon again. Then I remembered how he had hurt Serah. No, I was one of Etro's champions and I fought to protect the timeline, no matter the cost.  
"How does it feel to lose what you cherish? Imagine that a million times over. That's how the goddess feels. She feels every emotion and every pint of blood that has been shed. That's how she would feel if you destroyed the timeline. She would suffer a terrible death, one that I would not even on you." I replied.

He put Yeul's body down and picked up his sword. He lunged at me and I blocked every blow he dealt me. I slipped for a second and Caius struck me with both chaos energy and his blade. I rammed Masamune into his gut and we stood there with our blades stuck in each other. The sensation was painful. A blast of magic sent us both flying back and slamming into a pillar behind us. But he got up again and rushed to Yeul's side rather slowly. I fell to the ground and let the darkness of defeat take over me.

I felt something hard bounce off of my head and I opened my eyes to see what it was. My eyes widened in shock. I was in the country town of Nibelheim, on top of the tower carrying the town's water supply. A woman with long brown hair tied up with a yellow ribbon tapped her foot whilst Hojo stood next to her and threw another rock at me.  
"Sephiroth! Get your ass down here! Your mother and I wish to speak with you!" he exclaimed.  
"My mother?" I asked. The woman nodded. I jumped from the tower and landed before them.  
"What's going on?" I asked. She placed her hand over her mouth and gasped.  
"You don't remember? Your wedding's today, Sephie!" She exclaimed and pinched my cheeks.  
"My what?" I asked.  
"Oh dear, our son seems very forgetful today. It must be the stress." She said to Hojo.  
"Wait... this walking mass of complexes is my father?" I asked as I pointed to Hojo.  
"You mustn't speak about your father like that!" she hissed. I felt like I was going to faint.  
"Lucrecia! He must be stressed. Let's not aggravate his stress levels anymore." He replied and the woman named Lucrecia nodded.

I blinked a few times and saw that I was in Valhalla. This was a dream. I shook my head and I returned to the dream.  
"This isn't real! I'm not here! This is only a dream!" I exclaimed and the streets of Nibelheim became empty. The people had all disappeared. The dusty town was vacant, even the tumbleweeds didn't stumble through the town. The dogs were silent and no birds flew overhead. Suddenly, the dust began to move around the entrance of the inn. A figure in white stood in the doorway. I wondered towards the inn and I couldn't believe my eyes.

Lightning stood in the doorway with this beautifully decorated dress and her lightning bolt necklace which I remembered from high school.  
"Hey hon. You ready?" she asked with a smile. Lightning wore the bracelet I gave her in Valhalla and a sparkly ring on her left hand.  
"For what?" I asked. Her blue eyes glittered in the harsh sunlight.  
"For our wedding, silly! Everyone's waiting at the church. We wouldn't want to be late, would we?" she asked and held her hand out to me. She smiled and battered her lashes. Her smile always melts my heart. I closed my eyes for a split second and when I went to take her hand, Valhalla sprung up again and Lightning wasn't there.

I entered the dream world again and Lightning stood before me with her hand outstretched. I pulled my hand back.  
"You're not Claire. This is all a dream." I said and she disappeared in a burst of black smoke.  
"But I am. Let's get you out of this dream state." I heard Lightning's voice say and I turned to find the knight standing behind me. Lightning came up to me and threw her arms around me.

I closed my eyes and the dream world faded away. Lightning kissed my chest and I opened my eyes to find her gazing up at me. I kissed her head and she sighed.  
"Feel like a dream?" she asked humorously. I blinked a few times and the dream world didn't come back.  
"Not anymore. Not now that you're here." I replied and we pressed our lips up against each other. As our embrace became more passionate, Lightning began to sigh. I pulled away and she kissed me again briefly.  
"Let's go find the others." Lightning replied and we headed off to New Bodhum, 700 AF.


	5. Chapter 5

Lightning and I stepped out of a portal before Serah and Noel. I let out a sigh of relief. I hadn't failed to keep Serah safe, at least not yet anyways. Lightning explained the predicament with Caius and the fact that he has Etro's heart. I blinked again, only to find that my chest had the same glow as Lightning's.  
"Uh, Light? I think there's a problem." I said and Lightning came over.  
"I think that Caius and I had our hearts switched when we fought in the Void Beyond." I said. She looked at me in confusion, but her expression changed when she placed her hand against my chest. Her expression was that of confusion.  
"It is true." She replied and then turned to the other three.

"Change of plan. Take out Caius. It may unleash chaos but only the amount that has been building up over centuries. Etro, Sephiroth and I will try to contain the chaos before it leaves Valhalla and destroys the timeline." She said. Serah and Noel looked at us in confusion.  
"Academia 700 AF." Lighting instructed and I nodded before summoning a time gate to that exact location.  
"I will defend from Valhalla and you four will from Academia. Got it?" she asked. Serah and Noel nodded before heading to the gate. Lightning went to leave as I grabbed her hand and pulled her close.  
"I have to leave." She replied.  
"Will I see you afterwards?" I asked. She chuckled.  
"Yeah, maybe. Let's see." She replied and we kissed. Serah gasped loudly and we pulled away.  
"Good luck." I whispered and kissed her cheek.  
"You too." She replied and we parted ways, for now.

Noel and Serah stared at me as I met them at the gate.  
"You weren't kidding!" Serah exclaimed. "Why would I kid about someone I love?" I asked in reply.  
"Aw... Seph has a sweet spot for Light!" she mused. I felt my cheeks start to burn. Funny thing was I don't think I've ever blushed before. Ever. Noel chuckled and Mog shook his head at the two.  
"What about an artefact?" Noel asked as the laughter subsided.  
"Don't need one." I replied and touched the gate and we warped to Academia, 700 AF.

The surroundings were not even a city anymore. It was a forest of moving blocks infused with chaos energy. We had a talk about our plan of attack and then we pressed forward. At one of the steady platforms, we faced the ice and fire beasts that towered above us. Serah and Noel struggled to keep their party of three alive and I stepped in where I needed to, providing a healing spell or slashing down the enemy. We touched a chaos block that appeared before us and it turned red. The blocks moved and we continued along the blocks.

Before I even left the platform, I heard a familiar hiss come from a distance.  
"Go ahead. I'll catch up." I said and Serah headed on with Noel in tow. A set of four thuds sounded behind me. I turned to find my remnants led by a bloodthirsty Cloud. Loz cracked his knuckles, Yazoo swung his gun at me and Kadaj pulled out his katana. I remembered Denzel's words.  
"Avenge us, ok?" he had asked. Cloud pulled out his fusion blade and laughed evilly. That was no longer Cloud Strife; it was Jenova, the extra terrestrial being that tried to destroy Gaia. And I had helped her try. I pulled out Masamune and Kadaj looked a little uneasy. Cloud shot him a death stare and he snapped out of it.

"Party's over!" Yazoo exclaimed.  
"You have become a black sheep, that doesn't make Mother happy." Kadaj taunted.  
"Welcome to our play date!" Loz smirked.  
"Easy... he's dangerous." Cloud warned.  
"More fun for us!" Yazoo replied. Four sets of cat like eyes stared at me.  
"Etro prefers me as a black sheep." I said. Kadaj shook his head.  
"You serve Mother, Sephiroth. You were her favourite." Kadaj smiled.  
"I don't serve Jenova. I am one of Etro's Champions and not an alien's puppet!" I exclaimed and struck down Kadaj. Yazoo tried to shoot me but I dodged every shot and slashed him. He and Kadaj fell to the ground. Loz growled and pulled out his electric knuckles. He charged them up and lunged at me. I only had to swing at him with my free arm to bring him down. The remnants disappeared and joined the others in the Lifestream.

Cloud pointed his blade at me and smiled. I lunged at him and he blocked every one of my blows. I stood at a distance and then lunged straight back into battle. I whipped my blade across Cloud's face and a line of blood trailed down his cheek. He wiped it away and then lunged at me. I blocked his blows and countered where I could. I managed to disarm him and I kicked his fusion blade off of the platform. He stared me down and then his hands began to glow with supernatural power.  
"Cloud, you killed everybody you every cared about! Wake up and realise that you're following the path I took eight years ago!" I exclaimed. Denzel's words rang through my mind. Cloud snarled and pounced. I cut him down and he lay on the floor, unable to get up. He joined the Lifestream and Jenova was left without a fort to keep her protected.  
"I will avenge those who you killed with Cloud's body." I said and struck her down.

"Denzel, find peace. Jenova is gone." I announced to the heavens above. Denzel appeared before me with everyone behind him. He was clean and completely healed of the Geostigma.  
"I knew you weren't such a bad guy. Thank you, I really mean it." Denzel replied. Tifa called Denzel back and he stood next to Marlene. Cloud smiled and approached me.  
"Well, looks like the legendary SOLDIER hero has returned." Cloud chuckled.  
"Not quite. I still have a timeline to correct and a special someone to protect." I replied with a smile. Tifa joined Cloud.  
"Huh, seems like I owe you my thanks instead of my hate." Tifa said.  
"But..." "You killed the monster that started this mess... All is forgiven." She replied.  
"Now go! You have a timeline to save fool!" Barrett exclaimed. They left for the Lifestream and I teleported to where Serah and Noel were.

I found them waiting for me next to Chocolina. The crazy woman chirped when she spotted me.  
"He's here!" she chirped.  
"Sorry, I had to take care of business." I replied.  
"Are we ready?" Noel asked. We nodded. We rushed to the Academy headquarters when we were ambushed by Chaos Bahamut and his bug monsters. "Caius!" Noel cursed. "Get down!" Hope exclaimed and the sky tanks shot down the monsters. Hope said that we should get on top of the airship with the best pilot.  
"Hey Serah!" a man exclaimed.  
"Sazh?" Serah asked loudly. I let my wing come out of hiding spot as I took to the air and kept close to the aircraft.

Chaos Bahamut pursued us. Mog became Serah's weapon and we fought him. I landed on the ship and began to cast meteor.  
"Too late for amends." I smirked and released the large meteor of black materia. Chaos Bahamut was knocked out of the sky and the meteor continued to batter him until it crashed to the ground. Serah and Noel cheered. Chaos Bahamut rose again and began to cast Megaflare. I pulled out a chunk of white materia and tried to channel its power. When Caius attacked, I released the power of the white materia and used it as a shield. It deflected his attack and struck him down. Caius ripped open the sky and flew in. I grabbed Serah and Noel. Hope and his airship came up next to ours.  
"I want to come with you." Hope said.  
"What about Fang and Vanille?" Serah asked. Hope then decided to stay and I flew the other two into the rift.

I dropped them safely onto the ground. Caius stood before us and sucked in the chaos in Valhalla, saying that it was his ally. I looked up to find Lightning on her white Bahamut, Angeal on a normal summon of Bahamut and Genesis on Bahamut Zero. They were fighting the intruders from above while we dealt with Caius down below. Caius wouldn't go down easily. Noel completely lost it and mindlessly attacked Caius. They argued whilst they fought and Noel struck Caius down. Chaos energy was being released into Valhalla. Serah and Noel fell into the seas. Lightning dived in after them and I flew up to fight the three Bahamuts summoned by the amount of chaos in the realm of the dead.

The three dragons battered me with their best attacks. They did almost nothing to me and I slashed at them. Soon, only Jet Bahamut was left and I used Heartless Angel on it before using Octaslash to finish the job. The dragons only revived again as Serah and Noel jumped onto the floating platform. They had been knocked out by their Gigaflare. I morphed in Safer-Sephiroth and struck them down with great feats of magic and strength. Within a few minutes, the beasts feel and didn't revive. I raised Serah and Noel. Lightning jumped off of her white Bahamut to join us. I morphed back to my normal self with my angel wing still exposed.

"We did it!" Serah exclaimed. I rolled my eyes at the energetic woman. Serah, Noel and Mog cheered as Lightning pulled me in for a kiss. When our lips touched, Lightning began to groan in pain. I released her lips and she collapsed to the ground.  
"Lightning!" I exclaimed as I rushed down to her side. Her breathing was shallow and coarse. I held her in my arms and she seemed to calm down a bit. The chaos in the air was clearing. I guessed that Etro needed our help to clear all of it. Then, I felt a stabbing pain in my chest. It felt like I was being trampled on by hordes of behemoths. I fell backward and my own breathing was beginning to suffer. Lightning rested on my chest. She wasn't stirring. I tried to shake her awake.  
"Lightning!" I exclaimed and then groaned. She wasn't waking up. Serah and Noel rushed over to see what was going on.  
"What's happening?" Serah asked, glassy eyed.  
"The chaos... it's too much for Etro to bear herself. It's already too much for Lightning. Won't be long until I succumb to too much of it as well." I replied and then grunted as the pain worsened. My eyesight played up and I saw all of the chaos embedding itself into Lightning and me. When the chaos subsided, I succumbed to the darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

I awoke in a dark and moist cave. The scent of moss and rotting wood filled the air. I got up and surveyed my surroundings. There was no exit or secret tunnels. There was only a mako crystal that lit up the small area that it inhabited. Inside the crystal slept a woman who looked exactly like the Lucrecia woman from my dream. I wondered if she truly was my mother. I called upon the chaos energy encased my the heart of chaos that beat inside me and I waved my hands over the crystal.  
"Hey! Get away from there!" Vincent yelled. I paid no attention to the retired Turk and reached into the crystal. I gently grabbed her wrists and pulled her out of the crystal. She was limp and would've almost fallen to the wet ground if I didn't catch her.

She moaned and Vincent rushed over. He knelt down next to the woman and held her hand.  
"Lucrecia? Are you alright?" he asked. It was the woman from my dreams.  
"Do you know her?" I asked.  
"Yeah. I know her. I know that it was my fault that you were even born!" Vincent hissed in reply. So, she was my mother and that means that if that part was true, doesn't that mean that Hojo was my father?

Lucrecia stirred and her eyes slowly opened. She groaned and Vincent took her from me.  
"Lucrecia? Are you alright?" Vincent asked again. She smiled when she saw Vincent and hugged him.  
"Yeah, I'm fine. How am I here?" she asked wearily. I got off of the ground and snuck past the two so that she wouldn't see me. She probably didn't even know who I was. My vision changed and the whole cave was lit up. I followed the tunnel out.  
"Hey! Get back here!" Vincent exclaimed. I turned around and wondered back to Vincent and Lucrecia.

I sat back down on the ground and she sat up with Vincent's support. She pushed her hair off of her face. She gasped as soon as she saw me.  
"Vinnie? Why does he look so familiar? Have I seen him before?" she asked.  
"Technically yes you have. You saw him in a vision once." Vincent replied. She gasped again and flung her arms around me.  
"My son! I can't believe I've finally found him!" she exclaimed and tried to squeeze the life out of me. I know she didn't mean it. I gave her a hug back and she burst into tears.  
"Why did Hojo keep you from me?" she asked with tears pouring down her cheeks.  
"Because he's an asshole and he doesn't care about anyone's feelings." I chuckled in reply. She let me go and pinched my cheeks. I only sighed.  
"Don't say that about your father, even if he is an asshole." Lucrecia said. Vincent chuckled with me.  
"I like that. Can I call him that, Seph?" Vincent asked.  
"Sure, I'd love to see his reaction!" I replied. She slapped my arm and shook her head at me.  
"Seph?" she asked with confusion.  
"My real name's Sephiroth." I replied.  
"I told him I didn't want your name to be the same as the project but no, he had to give you a stupid name like that!" She exclaimed. I chuckled.  
"I've grown fond of it." I replied.

The three of us shared a moment of laughter.  
"I need to catch up with you when we're not in a cave. I missed out on your whole life!" she exclaimed.  
"Sounds good." I replied.  
"Hello? Anybody in here?" I heard Rufus Shinra shout into the cave. "Over here!" Vincent called and the blonde man with the shotgun ran over to us with Reno and Rude trailing him. He pointed his gun at me.  
"Relax. Jenova's dead. Killed her. She won't be back for a while." I replied and then looked back at my worried mother. The gun didn't move from my head.  
"I don't believe you." He said.  
"Please, he means no harm!" Lucrecia begged. Rufus put down the gun and pointed to his eyes and then to me. Reno and Rude kept their weapons nearby if I suddenly decided to turn on them.  
"At ease. I'm only going to New Bodhum." I replied and then left the cave.

It wasn't until I got to the airport that I realised that I was being followed by the people I thought I had left in the cave.  
"Fine, if you don't believe me come with me." I replied and then boarded the plane for New Bodhum. Naturally, they followed me on.

The plane landed on the shores of New Bodhum 3 AF. Gadot, Maqui and Yuj were happy to see me. Snow and I bumped knuckles. Serah and Lebreau wondered out of the NORA house and Mog trailed after Serah. Serah spotted Rufus and made a dash towards him.  
"Uncle Rufus!" She exclaimed and gave him a massive flying hug. I chuckled at the young woman.  
"Where is she?" I asked.  
"Ooh, your girl is on the pier, moping as always." Serah chuckled. I found Lightning on the pier, as Serah had said.

I walked onto the pier and hugged Lightning from behind. I kissed her neck and nuzzled her cheek. She went to punch me and I caught her fist.  
"I didn't mean to scare you." I replied. She smiled and kissed me. Her lips were still as soft and as warm as they always were. I ran my fingers through her hair and she left her hands resting behind my neck. Our lips continued to caress as I stroked the side of her head. Over time, our embrace became more passionate. Snow wolf whistled and Lightning broke away to give him a death stare. I chuckled and pulled her closer.

"I'm sorry I almost hit you." She said with an embarrassed tone.  
"I scared you. Don't worry, I get that a lot." I chuckled in reply, pulled her closer and kissed her again. My hold on reality weakened as Lightning's lips continuously folded with mine. Her hands went wondering and caught mine holding her by the hips. I sighed as her hands tousled my hair. I heard footsteps come in our direction, but I wasn't going to let anybody spoil the moment. Somebody cleared their throat. Lightning went to pull away, but I only pulled her back into our fantasy. Her hands ran up and down my arms as I supported the back of her head with my hands. That person cleared their throat again. This time I went to pull away, but Lightning wrapped her arms around me and kissed me again. Our tongues caressed as her grip on me tightened.

"Stop kissing damn it!" I heard Rufus exclaim. Our lips pulled away as he stood with his toe tapping on the wood.  
"Hi, Uncle Rufus." Lightning replied with an uneasy smile.  
"Give your uncle a hug." Rufus laughed. She rolled her eyes at him and hugged her uncle. He let her go and she returned to my side.  
"Ah, so this is why you wanted to come here... You cheeky devil! You should have said so Sephiroth!" he laughed.  
"And to think you were ready to blow my brains out!" I chuckled in reply. Lightning looked at me in shock and then looked at Rufus.  
"You almost shot him?" she asked angrily. "How was I supposed to know that you two got back together?" he replied and shrugged his shoulders. I kissed her cheek and she laughed.  
"You kids have fun." Rufus said and left the pier. Lightning took my hand and led me to a secluded area of the outskirts. Even I didn't know this place existed.

Lightning removed my coat and then pressed her lips against mine. She then removed hers and kissed me again. I wrapped my arms around her and let our kisses turn blindly passionate. It was as if we were back in Valhalla with nobody but the goddess watching us. It was like we were the only people on New Cocoon and that our little world was the reality.  
"Kupo! I found them, kupo!" Mog exclaimed.  
There was the rustling of bushes and a voice declared, "Lightning loves Sephiroth! I state this with Etro as my witness!" We instantly pulled away and Serah began to giggle. Snow clicked his tongue and shook his head.  
"What happened to traditional morals Light?" Snow asked humorously.  
"I didn't mean this much fun." Rufus said. Lightning's cheeks went bright red and she buried her face in her hands.  
"Wow... he's hot! Nice pick Light!" Lebreau exclaimed. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her forehead.  
"Honey, it's ok. I did get a little carried away..." I said and bit my lip. I heard Lightning laugh and she kissed my lips.  
"I did too." She replied.

We both laughed and then kissed again.  
"Can I borrow him for a night?" Lebreau asked. We pulled away and looked at Lebreau with a weirded out expression.  
"No, he'll have his hands full enough with me." Lightning chuckled in reply.  
"I'm serious." Lebreau said.  
"No. He's mine. Get your own angel!" Lightning exclaimed and pulled me closer to her. I sighed as she began to kiss my chest. I kissed her forehead and she giggled.  
"Easy Claire... he can turn at any minute." Rufus warned.  
"Please, like I'd hurt her!" I exclaimed in reply.

"What?" Lebreau asked.  
"He's a... different type of human." Vincent replied.  
"He's the result of an experiment using the cells of an extra terrestrial." Lucrecia explained. Lightning began to kiss a tender spot on my abdominals. I had to bit my lip to stop myself from doing something I might later regret.  
"Claire, Claire... oh baby. Mmmm... Must you tease me like this?" I asked with a sigh. Light chuckled and then began to kiss my neck. I kissed her forehead and she sighed. I began to lose control and my wing sprouted. Lightning giggled and then kissed my lips.  
"What the hell! He really is an angel!" Lebreau exclaimed. We all shared a humorous moment of laughter.

Two months later, Snow and Serah were married. I proposed to Lightning two weeks later and she said yes. We were married in two years and we've been happily married since.


End file.
